A wiki may be defined as " a website that allows collaborative editing of its content by its users" (Oxford Dictionaries, 2010). A wiki, can be a freely existing collaborative space created by anyone who has the knowledge needed to write a program recognized by an internet server. However, most wikis are much simpler, and can be created by most anyone with rudimentary software use experience. All of the most utilized web browsers (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari etc.) support web hosting services. These services provide space on the servers that include web platforms for a variety of software for the creation of wikis. The following link provides a list produced by Consumer Rankings of the 10 most popular web hosting services. (http://www.consumer-rankings.com/hosting/, (11/13/2012).
Wiki software is readily available for internet download, and is able to be used by most web browsers. Once created, the URL (uniform resource locator) will include the the software name as well as the name of the specific wiki.
Wiki Software Options
There are many choices among wiki software suppliers. Software can be considered using a variety of options including, but not limited to cost, ease of use, storage capacity, etc., but perhaps the most important initial consideration is security. Considering security, wikis can generally be divided into three categories: Public, protected and private. (http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/, 2012).
Public
Wkipedia is probably the best known example of a public wiki. Anyone using the internet can view or edit a public wiki. Although a public wiki allows for frequent updates and a variety of experiences to be shared, either the contributing community at large or a designated person should frequently monitor the wiki for "wiki-vandalism". Below are two examples of public wikis, Wikipedia and Creepypasta.com.
Protected
Similar to a public wiki, these websites are viewable by the anyone, but can only be edited by authorized users. Usually, the individual who creates the wiki is considered the wiki administrator. This person can grant permission and access to specific persons, usually through providing either an email address, or a password or both. The following example is a wiki created in PBWorks. In this case, the administrator allowed access to select users by providing an email address and a password.
Private
Unlike either public or protected wikis, private wikis can not be viewed by general audiences. The most common use of private wikis is for internal communication within an organization. Private wikis are generally controlled by links via an internal organizational system or private email, or on servers owned or rented by the organization, and will often include and organizational firewall for added protection.
(http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/, 2012).
Private wikis will include a system cost to maintain privacy, servers and firewalls. Users should be aware that not all wiki software offers the private version. A well known wiki software that does offer a private version is "mediawiki". Go to http://mediawiki.com for additional information about this specific software. Businesses often use private wikis in place of the traditional "intranet". Often, this use of a wiki would be restricted to private use, by employees only.
What is a wiki?
A wiki may be defined as " a website that allows collaborative editing of its content by its users" (Oxford Dictionaries, 2010). A wiki, can be a freely existing collaborative space created by anyone who has the knowledge needed to write a program recognized by an internet server. However, most wikis are much simpler, and can be created by most anyone with rudimentary software use experience. All of the most utilized web browsers (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari etc.) support web hosting services. These services provide space on the servers that include web platforms for a variety of software for the creation of wikis. The following link provides a list produced by Consumer Rankings of the 10 most popular web hosting services. (http://www.consumer-rankings.com/hosting/, (11/13/2012).Wiki software is readily available for internet download, and is able to be used by most web browsers. Once created, the URL (uniform resource locator) will include the the software name as well as the name of the specific wiki.
Wiki Software Options
There are many choices among wiki software suppliers. Software can be considered using a variety of options including, but not limited to cost, ease of use, storage capacity, etc., but perhaps the most important initial consideration is security. Considering security, wikis can generally be divided into three categories: Public, protected and private. (http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/, 2012).Public
Wkipedia is probably the best known example of a public wiki. Anyone using the internet can view or edit a public wiki. Although a public wiki allows for frequent updates and a variety of experiences to be shared, either the contributing community at large or a designated person should frequently monitor the wiki for "wiki-vandalism". Below are two examples of public wikis, Wikipedia and Creepypasta.com.Protected
Similar to a public wiki, these websites are viewable by the anyone, but can only be edited by authorized users. Usually, the individual who creates the wiki is considered the wiki administrator. This person can grant permission and access to specific persons, usually through providing either an email address, or a password or both. The following example is a wiki created in PBWorks. In this case, the administrator allowed access to select users by providing an email address and a password.Private
Unlike either public or protected wikis, private wikis can not be viewed by general audiences. The most common use of private wikis is for internal communication within an organization. Private wikis are generally controlled by links via an internal organizational system or private email, or on servers owned or rented by the organization, and will often include and organizational firewall for added protection.(http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/, 2012).
Private wikis will include a system cost to maintain privacy, servers and firewalls. Users should be aware that not all wiki software offers the private version. A well known wiki software that does offer a private version is "mediawiki". Go to http://mediawiki.com for additional information about this specific software. Businesses often use private wikis in place of the traditional "intranet". Often, this use of a wiki would be restricted to private use, by employees only.